Anthony's Weekend Watch Episode 3

Last week, we talked about the brain-scrambling movie that was Hard Clan. Sozou throw everything he could at you in his movie about the Cal-Open team that started from the bottom and has since been accused of hacking. But hey, if they were, at least we got a sick movie out of it. Anyway, this week I aim to slow it down middle-school-dance style with yet another movie that is celebrating its 15th birthday this year. Yes, FIFTEEN. On October 10, 2003 a very close friend of mine tugged on the heartstrings of CS movie enthusiasts. He released a more emotionally-based fragmovie that Jasper Wiese proceeded to obsess over for, like, decades. No seriously, no one will ever change his mind that this is the greatest movie to ever exist. Nostalgia folks... it's a fickle thing. If you haven't guessed it yet, eoLithic is this week's top pick.

15 years: the amount of time since this has been released. 14 days: the amount of time it's been since Jasper has watched this movie (he's in India. It would most definitely be less if he wasn't.) 17 minutes: the length of this movie. Jesus Christ. 17 minutes??? I don't recall it ever being that long. How did I sit through this? Oh that's right. Because like everyone else, this was one of the first movies I've ever watched and I was AMAZED. The style of this flick is so unique in its concept. An intro section that spans almost 4 minutes, but also acts as a fragpart. Additionally, the unique, static shots and slo-mos Zaknafein uses that undoubtedly match the OST in a subconsciously perfect way just add to how impressive the directing was for a (at the time) 18-year-old.

Ah, nothing will ever beat the memory of seeing the beginning of Numb for the first time. Those shoddy effects, that tension, and the release of said tension as the guitar kicks in. We see the terrorists jump out of fear and surprise; it's all just brilliant sequencing and directing. But then you get moments like these from Espen where the chorus kicks in and we're watching a guy with a grenade in his hand for a few moments. Then a static cam of it blowing up. He struggled with these type of tempo situations at times, but did a better job during the Powerman 5000 section. As children, we didn't care nor did we know better. At least he made up for it at the end of Numb with this lovely slo-mo and blink-sync.

Who misses Aztec and the weather effects (wait, there was lightning?) Can't even imagine the performance loss in CSGO if that was included.

Who misses really bad 3D bullets (wait, there was a 3D bullet in this movie?) Lord, my memory...

I could be here all day discussing this movie further. eoLithic (Tribute) isn't really something you can discuss. For most of the older editors here, it's something you watched and felt. Espen had this rare ability to nail sequencing and pacing in a unique way unlike anybody at the time. Atmosphere really became a tool utilized by editors after this film was released. One could say that because of Espen, we got movies like Eve and Castor Fiber.

*appears out of smoke* I have been summoned!
(okay so apparently my comment was too long and have to be posted in parts. Classic, ranting me!)

Thank you, Anthony, for the amazing article and analysis. I really appreciate the honest critique, which includes things I did not master. It is also both nostalgic and wonderful to learn about the aspects that impacted viewers, and to see a more analytical review of the movie.

I cannot believe this is 15 years ago, made in a time before YouTube, before Twitch, when active CS moviemakers were in the dozens rather than in the thousands. This movie was my first big project, and as I recall it took a little over two months to make. I took the commission very seriously: demo research was extensive, but there were still a few frags that I missed and that were later added to the NG15 movie. Hesesses helped me track down the MindTrek organizers to get the original LAN footage, and OdB was kind enough to permit me to use their ClanBase videos (I omitted the interview when they talk about Xeqtrâ€™s penisâ€¦no seriously!). I spoke to most of the players to find out if they played with their weapon left- or right-handed. This is why the guns shift from left to right in the movie, depending on the player.

The movie was met with much more acclaim than I could have anticipated, and even though my editing skills subsequently improved, I would daresay that eoLithic remains my best work. This is not to say that the movie is without flaw: Anthony has already correctly pointed out that fast-paced tempo was not my greatest strength, and my editing style has not significantly changed over the years (e.g. see my final two CS movies, from 2011: Revenio or Cow Eat Gras). I liked taking the time to show a frag, which resulted in a slower pace, emphasizing the atmosphere or situation rather than the tension or adrenaline. I liked to primarily synchronize the content with the tempo changes and rhythm of a song, rather than its beat (although this still happens, as Anthony also pointed out at the end of Numb).

The movie was also criticized for containing too many eco frags, hence some dubbed it â€śecolithicâ€ť. This critique is justified and is what ultimately led Naikon and Knoxville to give their blessing for the public release of the movie, but without formal eoLithic affiliation. I could have corrected this, but since I did the project pro bono I was not eager to spend more time re-editing entire segments and re-rendering (which was a pain back then). Thus, while officially the name of the movie is â€śeoLithicâ€ť, my colleagues in the now long-dead gaming hub SoGamed dubbed it â€śeoLithic Tributeâ€ť, which today remains its unofficial title.

Aside from the occasional mini movie, I have been largely inactive in the CS moviemaking scene for at least 10+ years. However, I was often reminded of eoLithic, because as an evolutionary psychologist I would often research the paleolithic era, which is presumably where the clan took its name. I loved making movies and often miss it. Thank you, Anthony, for reminding me of the fun of the past and for your kind words about the movie.

PS: I plan to upload my movies to my YouTube channel, so they can be found on one channel rather than through fan uploads. Will do this once I cease to be lazy!

Believe it or not I actually stumbled upon this movie a bit later than most in my cs/moviemaking career.Â I think I had started getting into the movie scene in 2004 or very early 2005 (mind you I was roughly 12 years old), so I think I had literallyÂ justÂ missed this film when it was released.Â After a bit of time in the scene people were already referring to it as an "old-school" legend, so I think I saw it for the first time in 2006.Â This movie stood out to me at the time because it was one of the first that really showed a historically dominant cs team in the competitive scene, and definitely drew me more into the competitive environment.Â Although looking back at it now I definitely agree with the majority of your criticism Anthony at the time I felt like it was much more powerful.Â As you mentioned man, nostalgia is an incredible thing.Â The fact that most times I hear that Evanescence song (although very rarely) and hear the chorus I still get a small flashback to Knoxville picking mid with the USP is a testament to that.Â This movie never topped my personal charts as a favorite but I could see why it would to the Norwegians (s/o pava) and I used to give it a re-watch every now and then back in the day.Â Ant my shoutout of the week that I'd like to see your write up and critique of would be Ruination, maybe I'll throw a couple of suggestions out every now and then but I like seeing what you have to say about the oldies. It has been fun coming back to them, and that was one of the first flicks I remember going nuts for (I think it was '04 or '05?). Till next week y'all

I guess it's time to drop a hint and say that I have something bigger and better planned for these Weekend Watch articles.Â Ruination can be one of the films I include with said "bigger and better" thing.Â stay tuned and thanks for your input Neigh!

Sounds good. And should be said in case you didn't know I'm neyloc from the '06-'13ish days on this site, #startmovie and all that jazz. Coley, if you remember. But no doubt, I try to check the site sometime each weekend to read this column so keep it up

I actually think I saw this movie a bit late also. Whenever I hear Eolithic I think about Oslo By Storm by Hesesses. Not sure how I missed Zakna's movie, but I'm guessing it's because I didn't have internet back then and got all my movies on LAN. I couldn't really choose what to download and had to settle for what was available there and then.

I still feel nostalgic about this movie tho. That Zakna logo always makes my underwear moist.